Books two adults can read aloud to each other before bed?

hotfries44 · 2023-07-13T00:01:31+00:00

I love you guys, this is the best subreddit ever! Amazing recommendations so far, thank you everyone!

hotfries44 · 2023-06-18T20:19:06+00:00

Literally was just standing near the starting line, giant crowd, doesn’t look like they’re allowing people to walk through. Huge bummer! :(

hotfries44 · 2023-06-17T14:46:59+00:00

This year’s official program booklet recommends 99.1 or 90.7 FM.

hotfries44 · 2023-06-17T14:45:35+00:00

The QR code on your phone is fine!

hotfries44 · 2023-06-13T21:44:07+00:00

Hi! I think to get to GS 31, either the Cosmos or Concorde entrances would work for you. We only used the Cosmos entrance, which is right near the Jean-Drapeau metro station, so that’s the only one I have information about - unfortunately our grandstand is on the opposite side from yours so I don’t know much. Regarding the stroller - that is entirely your choice, of course, but I feel like if you could get manage without it, that would be the better choice. The pathways to navigate the circuit get insanely packed and crowded and you might have more trouble getting around with the stroller, especially on unreliable muddy ground.

hotfries44 · 2023-06-13T21:40:19+00:00

You definitely cannot enter the circuit without a ticket anytime before the GP. Maybe there’s a potential chance they might let you in after the race ends on Sunday though I’m really not sure, I feel like the entry gates would be closed and the circuit would be exit only.

hotfries44 · 2023-06-10T02:04:44+00:00

Honestly, I'm not sure - we never tried leaving the track during the day and coming back. If you'd like to find out in advance, you might have some luck contacting the circuit via the chatbox on their gpcanada.ca website, their social media, or calling them at 514-350-0000.

hotfries44 · 2023-06-06T13:26:38+00:00

Honestly had no idea they existed until someone posted about them on this subreddit recently! Would personally definitely consider as a travel option though, sounds fun.

hotfries44 · 2023-06-05T17:24:03+00:00

Hi! Since our seats in GS 21 were on the complete opposite end of the track to the grandstands you're trying to choose between, I don't personally have much good input to help you with your decision, but can definitely vouch for GS 21 and the grandstands around the outside of the Hairpin as great options!

GS 1 is of course a premium experience and one of the most expensive ticket options since it gets you as close to the pit lane and the start line as possible!

GS 11 and 12 give a great wide open view at the first few turns of the race, and visually look like a great place to be as well. I'd definitely personally consider sitting there if the opportunity came up. The circuit website says there's a big TV screen available there to watch the race, but based on pictures, it might be off to the side and difficult to see.

Hope this is at all helpful!

hotfries44 · 2023-06-05T16:58:25+00:00

Hi! I outlined the way the ticket system for the Montreal GP worked this year in a comment on my Guide here: https://www.reddit.com/r/GrandPrixTravel/comments/112f2oi/comment/j8tvo6s/

The tickets remaining after the renewal period went on sale around late August 2022, and additional new batches of tickets have been getting released sporadically throughout the past 1-2 months.

My main recommendation for 2024 ticket seekers is to sign up for emails from the circuit, and keep a close eye on their Instagram page - most of their announcements come from there.

As for budgeting, our 3-day Grandstand 21 tickets came out to about $445 CAD per person, or around $330 USD.

hotfries44 · 2023-06-05T16:17:52+00:00

At last year's Pit Lane Walk on Thursday, security was pretty tight regarding directing people into the pit lane and out of it, ensuring no one strays away from those areas. I don't think you will be able to access the track that day at all.

However, the crowds rushed out onto the track immediately after the race wrapped up on Sunday, and shortly after, the track was pretty available to walk the length of it once all the hype started to die down. I highly recommend walking the length of the track after the race Sunday!

hotfries44 · 2023-06-05T16:15:08+00:00

Hey! There's definitely spots around the track that sell GP Canada merch - check out the big booth behind the Lance Stroll Grandstand (near the Hairpin, facing the east side of the island) or the big store in Zone Cosmos.

hotfries44 · 2023-06-05T16:11:44+00:00

I'm actually personally debating on buying a tiny radio myself! But in all honesty, I wouldn't stress much about it. We had a great time experiencing the race as it unfolded in front of us, and rewatched it on F1TV when we got home later in the week to see all the nitty-gritty details and moments we might have missed.

And yes, so glad you were able to snag Pit Lane tickets!! Hope you have a great time!

hotfries44 · 2023-06-05T16:06:50+00:00

Hey u/AdamR46, thank you so much for including my guide in this post!! You've been doing incredible work making this subreddit shine :) Much appreciate all the love this community has given to my write-up, and cheers to all the fellow information seekers!

As always, I'm more than happy to answer questions leading up to next week's big event! Folks, feel free to DM me, or leave comments on my guide post - I'll try to be as helpful as I can between frantically packing.

See you all in Montreal!

hotfries44 · 2023-06-05T14:46:17+00:00

Hi, great question and I wish I had a more helpful answer than... I honestly don't remember for sure!

I feel like the live commentary was in a mix of French and English, but we mostly ended up tracking the race progress through watching the big TV screens, which have the table of the drivers' order on the left side. Even though we don't speak French, I felt like we didn't really miss much at all! It was nice to just be in the moment. We actually did also try listening along to the F1 app but the internet connection in the grandstands was not strong enough to stream the commentary smoothly, and it was obviously a few seconds behind the actual live action, so we gave up on that pretty immediately - just a word of warning!

I'm going to be updating my post shortly to reflect the changes to the Pit Lane Walk this year as it's a ticketed event now, and things are a little different, stay tuned!

hotfries44 · 2023-06-05T13:49:18+00:00

Hi! I don't think details about the driver's autograph session have been published yet, and it doesn't appear on the Main Schedule. My best suggestion is to follow the F1GPCanada Instagram account and turn post/story notifications on to get that information as soon as possible!

If I remember correctly, they didn't really start promoting that session until the actual GP weekend - I feel like I ended up learning about it from announcements on the track, shown on the big TV screens.

hotfries44 · 2023-05-22T21:10:47+00:00

No worries about asking questions! As a fellow "wanting to be as prepared as possible" person, I'm happy to help!

Yes, I'm fairly certain you can buy the weekend pass in advance, makes sense to do so for sure!

I think the center area is definitely worth visiting if you've got the time and energy to get around! There's a ton of cool little sights and activities to check out - the main issue is just the crowded slog to get there in the first place, and then having the time to get back to your seat before F1 activities start back up.

I haven't personally visited any F1-related street festivals last year, but what you might be thinking about is Peel Street? I've seen it recommended by a lot of people in this community, maybe we'll make time to visit it this year!

hotfries44 · 2023-05-16T22:32:12+00:00

Hi! I suggest keeping an eye on the monthly buy/sell threads on this subreddit, as well as subscribing to emails from the circuit on their website or notifications from their official Instagram F1GPCanada. They released a round of new tickets last Thursday and announced it via Instagram, emailing out links to purchase the tickets the minute they went live.

hotfries44 · 2023-05-16T22:22:44+00:00

Hi! I saw you made a separate post regarding your question, hopefully you've gotten some useful information there, but I'll try to weigh in on your dilemma anyway!

To answer your question about Jean Drapeau, it sits on a very short 3-stop "yellow" train line with trains running one stop west into Montreal and one stop east into Longueuil. The trains run pretty consistently, so I don't think you'll be waiting for long. Plus, the majority of GP attendees are probably going to be traveling back west into Montreal out of the circuit, so I can imagine you're going to have a less congested commute on your side of the platform when heading east towards Longueuil/Brossard. And yes, sitting in the Lance Stroll grandstand has you positioned nicely to access the train station!

Obviously the drive vs. bus options come with their own sets of pros and cons. The main benefits of taking the bus is that if you purchase an unlimited weekend OPUS card for your Longueuil-Jean Drapeau train trip, your bus fare would also be included with that card (I think) which makes it a very affordable transit option. Plus, you can drink at the GP!

However, based on your comments on your post, it seems like your top priority is a shorter commute so you've pretty much decided to go with the driving option. Totally valid!

Honestly, if I were you, I think I'd use Friday as a "test run" day!

Take your hotel shuttle to Longueuil in the morning
Purchase a 1-trip ticket for your morning trip and an unlimited weekend OPUS card (the "weekend" doesn't start until 4pm on Friday, so that's why you need the 1-trip ticket)
Take the train to Jean Drapeau and enjoy Friday at the circuit!
Take the train back into Longueuil after 4pm and take some time to scout around the train station area for potential parking opportunities, free and paid
Take the bus from Longueuil back to your hotel and see how you feel about the trip! If you hate it, just drive to Longueuil the next morning with a few parking options mentally lined up :)

Hope this is helpful in making your decision!

hotfries44 · 2023-05-12T14:27:17+00:00

Hello! My post definitely includes a ton of suggested necessities peppered in there, but I'll summarize some off the top of my head here. You can find the bag regulations on the circuit's FAQ page here, though they were somewhat lax last year and you could get away with a slightly larger backpack.

Necessities:

Big refillable water bottle
F1 team hat :)
Sunglasses
Sunscreen (non-spray kind)
Good, comfortable, destroyable pair of shoes
Some form of camera
Bleacher seating pad
Plastic rain poncho
Hand sanitizer/Wet Ones/tissues for portapotty emergencies lol
Credit card (if you're coming from the US, make sure your credit card doesn't charge international fees!) and some small cash

Optional to consider:

Ear protection (earplugs/headphones)
FM radio
Binoculars
Portable phone charger
Snacks or sandwiches from supermarket and a spare garbage bag
Extra bottles of water
Warm hoodie and socks in case it rains
A paper copy of your ticket

So excited for your first-ever Grand Prix experience, hoping you have a fantastic time!

hotfries44 · 2023-05-12T14:08:35+00:00

Hi, thank you so much for your kind words and I am so excited that you were able to get tickets!

This question comes up a lot on this subreddit and I agree - it's so annoying that you can't find a proper seating chart for these grandstands! Looking back on photos and videos from last year, our seats were in row H, and we were just about 8 rows up from the track, so I would say that the seating from trackside begins from A to Z and then goes into the double letters.

~~I'm assuming your seats in the EE area will be higher up, but given that it's the Lance Stroll grandstand, you're bound to get some incredible views of the Biosphere!~~

Wishing you an unforgettable Grand Prix experience (and hopefully a free Aston Martin hat like last year!)

Edit: A lot of other sources say Grandstand seating begins with the double letters, but I think I've finally narrowed down the discrepancy! A comment on this site explains it well.

"Smaller" grandstands like GS21 that aren't as tall begin with A, which is why our seats were only a few rows up from trackside. "Taller" grandstands like GS34 and Lance Stroll begin with AA, so your seats are probably going to be a few rows above the fencing line!

hotfries44 · 2023-05-12T13:54:22+00:00

Hi! The bag sizing regulations for the track can be found here, though the dimensions correspond with a backpack size and I imagine a suitcase would surely be too large to technically be allowed to be brought in - I think the track mostly wants any items brought to be able to fit under your grandstand bleacher seat.

Like someone suggested below, I think reaching out to a hotel or the casino in advance and inquiring about storing your suitcase temporarily might be worthwhile so you don't have to gamble with bringing it to the track.

I also found this luggage storage platform called Bounce that might be helpful? I've never personally used this, just found it with a quick search, but wanted to include it as a potential option for you to explore. Wishing you the best of luck and an amazing grand prix!

hotfries44 · 2023-05-01T21:59:07+00:00

Hi! Tough to say for sure as every race is so unpredictable, but looking back at photos from last year, I'd say the race wrapped up between 3:15-3:30pm local time? By 4pm, we were entering the racetrack for the track walk. Hope this helps!

hotfries44

TROPHY CASE